Tracks on Tracks

CBC Radio 3 recently wrapped up their Tracks-on-Tracks project. Which featured a group of bands and artists such as Chris Ho, The Matinee, Portage and Main with many more. The bands/artists were selected by fan voting to join a train traveling from Vancouver all the way to downtown Toronto for the NXNE (North by Northeast) festival. Encompassing stops in random small town as well as impromptu performances anywhere you could imagine.

Check out Grant Lawrence's of CBC Radio 3 video summarizing some of the highlight of the trip as well as "Sweetwater" by The Matinee, a personal favorite of mine from following the Tracks on Tracks adventure.



 - Spence

Stream: Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Backyard

Patrick Watson's long awaited fourth album Adventure In Your Own Backyard was released today. If you want to to listen to the veteran Canadian songwriter's new album before you buy it head over to CBC Radio 3 to stream Adventures In Your Own Backyard. As well, check out the title track live from SXSW 2012.



 - Spence

Introducing: Cold Specks

On my drive home to Lethbridge recently listening to trusty CBC Radio 3 I heard this incredible song coming through the speakers of my car. I was blown away, and not just because of the Lethbridge winds. The song was "Holland" by Cold Specks. Cold Speck is lead by Al Spx from Etobicoke, Ontario however currently based in London, UK. And although she is new to me and probably many Canadians, she is already well known and respected in the UK. 

Cold Speck's album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion is due out May 21 of this year, but you can listen to "Holland" right here and download it via Soundcloud. In addition to the new album she is returning to Canada for a tour this summer with Great Lake Swimmers, including dates in Lethbridge and Calgary. Here is the album artwork, tracklist, and tour dates.




I Predict a Graceful Expulsion


 
Tracklisting:

1. The Mark
2. Heavy Hands
3. Winter Solstice
4. When The City Lights Dim
5. Hector
6. Holland
7. Elephant Head
8. Send Your Youth
9. Blank Maps
10. Steady
11. Lay Me Down


Tour Dates:

May 4th - Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre
May 6th - Edmonton, AB - McDougall United Church
May 7th - Calgary, AB - Central United Church
May 8th - Lethbridge, AB - Southminster United Church
May 9th - Nelson, BC - The Royal
May 11th - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom
May 12th - Victoria, BC - Alix Goolden Hall
June 2nd - Toronto, ON -  Danforth Music Hall

 - Spence

Canadian Music @ SXSW

If you didn't know North America's largest music festival South By Southwest (SXSW) is currently underway in Austin, TX. And if your like me you weren't able to attend. However, thanks to the partnership between Sirius XM and SXSW you can listen to the many great Canadian artists (over 135 of them!) through out the festival. The festivities kicked off with the Canadian Blast BBQ yesterday featuring bands in the banner above. But if you tune into CBC Radio 3 through the day and weekend you will be able to hear Canadian artists as they tackle the stages of SXSW. You can also listen through Sirius XM channel 152 (CBC Radio 3) or 151, which will be playing a little of everything.

Enjoy!

 - Spence

Adam & the Amethysts - "Flickering Flashlight"

Thanks to the CBC Radio 3's The R3-30 I recently discovered Adam & the Amethysts out of Montreal. The band released their second LP, Flickering Flashlight on October 4th. I'm not sure how you describe Adam & the Amethysts' sound, could be psychedelic folk or pop but either way I am definitely enjoying the sound and I will let Radio 3 try to describe Flickering Flashlight better then I can. You can stream the full album right now via Exclaim.

"Flickering Flashlight is the highest-fi lo-fi record you'll hear this year. Much as it evokes Van Dyke Parks' ensembles and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, this bold blushing sound was recorded in a single tiny room at the front of Adam's apartment; an office stuffed with guitars, amps, patch-cords, a giant vintage map of Lake Superior. No, it wasn't soundproofed; yes, you can "definitely hear some garbage truck". There are distant creaks, closing doors, moth-wings. "When you listen to the record it's kind of like sitting in my house and listening to my house, with music playing over it," Adam says. "I was trying to achieve sounds that on the one hand transcend the circumstances, grander and more interesting, but on the other hand remain true to what's going on: which is a guy making music in a 5' x 8' room, overlooking the street." - CBC Radio 3

- Spence

Current Swell - Long Time Ago

Current Swell is no stranger to the Canadian music scene. This is a band who has refined their sound over the past 6 years and through their 4 studio releases. They have toured throughout Canada, the USA and Australia earning their stripes along the way. Now they are back with a new album entitled Long Time Ago which was released on October 25th. In my opinion this is their best work yet. Throughout all of their releases they have experimented and reinvented themselves, some of which I have enjoyed... and some that I have not. Long Time Ago could be considered a more simple album by many. However, I think Current Swell has come into their own and that growth is projected in every note of the album. Their last 3 releases at times came off as brash to me, while this album seems to have been thought out meticulously. If you want to check out the whole album you can head over to CBC Radio 3 or to the Current Swell Website.


Tour:

Nov 05 - Beaver Point Hall - Salt Spring Island
Nov 08 - O'Flanagans - Kelowna
Nov 09 - Communitea Cafe - Canmore
Nov 10 - Dickens Pub - Calgary
Nov 11 - The Pawnshop - Edmonton
Nov 12 - Louis Pub - Saskatoon
Nov 13 - The Pyramid Cabaret - Winnipeg
Nov 15 - The Northern - Fernie
Nov 16 - Heroes Pub - Kamloops
Nov 22 - Mavericks - Ottawa
Nov 23 - Le Divan Orange - Montreal
Nov 24 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
Nov 25 - Music Hall Lounge - London
Nov 26 - Villains - Windsor
Nov 27 - Paddy's Irish Pub - Sarnia
Nov 30 - Nicky Zee's - Fredericton
Dec 01 - Baba's Lounge - Charlottetown
Dec 02 - Pavilion - Halifax
Dec 03 - Manhattans - Moncton

- Bryce

Dan Mangan Day

In honor of today's arrival of Dan Mangan's new LP Oh Fortune, Blue Sloth would like to dedicated this day as Dan Mangan Day. This post will provide you with everything you could possibly want and need in anticipation for Oh Fortune official release of September 27th.

Also, we would like to say thank you to @danmanganmusic twitter for the retweet of Blue Sloth Music and for the source of this wonderful information. Please do yourself a favor and follow him immediately if you have not already done so.

Full Length Stream of Oh Fortune:



Check it out via CBC Radio 3, AUX TV, and Exclaim.

Performances:

"Row of Houses" @ CBC Vancouver September 17



"Oh Fortune" @ Canada AM

Canada AM

Pictures and video from Oh Fortune premiere @ CBC Vancouver

CBC Radio 3

Free Download of "Post-War Blues" @ iTunes Single of the Week

iTunes


Canadian Tour:

Oct 14 – Ottawa @ Bronson Centre
Oct 15 – Kingston @ Sydenham United Church
Oct 16 – Montreal @ Theatre Outremont
Oct 17 – Quebec City @ Le Cercle
Oct 19 – St John’s, NFLD @ Cochrane United Church
Oct 22 – Fredericton @ Wilmot United Church
Oct 25 – Waterloo @ Starlight
Oct 26 – London @ Aeolian Hall
Oct 27 – Hamilton @ The Theatre at Hamilton Place
Oct 28 – Toronto @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Oct 29 – Guelph @ Dublin Street Church
Nov 1 – Winnipeg @ The Garrick Centre
Nov 2 – Saskatoon @ The Broadway Theatre
Nov 3 – Edmonton @ McDougal United Church
Nov 4 – Calgary @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Nov 9 – Vancouver @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov 10 – Victoria @ Alix Goolden Hall

Bryce and I will be attending the November 4th show in Calgary, if you happen to be going fire us an email at blue.sloth.blog@gmail.com. We would be happy to meet you, have a couple beers and listen to some great Dan Mangan music.

- Spence

Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune Album Premiere

As you may know, Bryce and I are very avid fans of one particular Vancouver artist, Dan Mangan. We have posted the first two tracks "Oh Fortune" and "Row of Houses" from the upcoming Oh Fortune album, set to be released September 27th. But this Saturday, that's right tomorrow, Dan Mangan and some of his friends will be premiering the album live at CBC Vancouver and will be broadcast via CBC Radio 3 at 8:00 pm PT. Tune in to hear the new album and what I am sure will be some pleasant surprises!

- Spence

Dan Mangan - "Oh Fortune"

Vancouver's Dan Mangan is quite possibly the best indie singer songwriter Canada has to offer. His 2009 release Nice, Nice, Very Nice is one of our favorite all time favorite albums here at Blue Sloth and was on the short list for the coveted 2010 Polaris Music Prize (2011 Polaris Music Prize Short List is announced tomorrow by the way)! His songs including "Robots" and "Road Regrets" are regarded with the highest of respect and talent by indie staples CBC Radio 3 and Sirius XM. I also I had the pleasure of seeing his talents live one very "liberal" night in Lethbridge, but most exciting is that Dan Mangan is set to release his new LP Oh Fortune on September 27, 2011. You can see the album art above and embedded below is the widget to his site and a free download of the first single and title track "Oh Fortune". Check in for more news Oh Fortune including new singles and tour dates.



- Spence